Cloth-cutting machine



W. l. MARSHALL.

CLOTH CUTTIVNG MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21. 1919.

Patented June 24, 1919.

INVENTOR ATToRN Y J/MZML UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. MARSHALL, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO H. MAIMINCOMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CLOTH-CUTTING MACHINE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. MAR- SHALL, residing at Newark, in thecounty of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Cloth-Cutting Machines; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to cloth-cutting machines, and more particularlyinvolves an improved arrangement for holding the knife guard attachmentand the stripper foot structure carried thereon in any desired positionof adjustment, while permitting the position of these parts to bequickly and easily altered according to the requirements of the workbeing performed by the machine.

It is the usual practice in machines of the reciprocating knife type tomount the knife guard attachment on a support which is slidably mountedon a guide or track attached to the machine and to provide a thumb screwfor clamping the support in any desired position of adjustment. Sincethe knife guard carries at its lower end the stripper foot structurewhich is adapted to press down on the pile of fabric being cut toprevent the same from clinging to and rising with the reciprocatingknife on its up strokes, it is necessary to make frequent changes in theposition of the knife guard, these changes being usually required at thebeginning and end of each cutting operation and frequently even duringthe progress of the cutting operation in order to produce the properpressure upon the pile of goods. The thumb screw usually provided forholding the knife guard support possesses the disadvantages that it maybecome unscrewed from the machine and be lost, and even when in placeits manipulation requires an appreciable time, and if performedfrequently, as is necessary in the use of the machine, the amount oftime lost in setting the thumb screw will interfere with the performanceof the work and cause a consequent diminution of the efliciency of themachine. Furthermore the continual clamping of the screw against theguide or track will in time wear the face of the latter, and the wornportion will take usually the form of a roughened groove which mayfinally assume such a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 24:, 1919.

Application filed February 21, 1919. Serial No. 278,540.

shape as to interfere with the proper gripping action of the screw.Frequent manipulation of the screw also wears its threads and thecooperating threads of the support so that the screw loses its grip, andthe machine must be repaired 'by the replacement of the worn or damagedparts.

It is an object of this invention to overcome these defects of priormachines, by providing a construction in which the knife guard supportmay be held in any desired position of adjustment by a clamp which issimple in construction and positive in action, may be quickly and easilymanipulated and has no parts which may become accidentally detached orappreciably damaged by wear.

The particular nature of the invention, as well as other objects andadvantages thereof, will appear more clearly from a description of apreferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cloth cutting machine of a well-knowntype with the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the knife guard support andthe clamp;

Fig. 4 is a view of the same parts in section along the line 14 of Fig.3; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similarparts through outthe several views, 10 denotes the base plate of themachine having attached thereto an upright standard 11 on which ismounted a motor 12 for reciprocating the knife 13, a handle 14 beingprovided for guiding the machine through the fabric to be cut. As iscustomary in machines of this type, there is a pair of knife guardmembers 15 each carrying at its lower end a stripper foot member 16, thelast named members being adapted to be fastened together by a clamp 17.Each of the knife guard members is pivotally attached to a support 18slidably mounted on a track or guide 19 attached to the front of themachine. Each knife guard member has associated therewith at its pivot agear wheel 20, these wheels meshing with each other and being connectedby a spring 21 attached to projecting pins 22. The spring is so arrangedthat when the'knife guard members occupy their normal position parallelto the knife, the spring lies below the pivots of these members, butwhen they occupy a raised position as shown in dotted line in Fig. 2,the spring occupies a position above the pivots of the knife guard ingthe knife guard and stripper foot members in the desired position ofadjustment.

llhenever it is desired to alter the position of the knife guard toadjust the stripper foot upon the pile of goods to be cut, or for anymembers so that these members are retainedother reason, the member 31 israised against in lifted position.

In accordance wlth the present lnvention,

the support 18 is provided witha transverse recess 23, the bottom ofwhich is substantially flush with the face of the track 19. This recessis adapted to receive a casing 24, the outerp'ortion 25 of which isformed with depressed portions indicated at 26, thus i'm-' parting tothe casing a shape which permits it to be conveniently gripped betweenthe thumb and fingers. The body of the casing is provided with a slot asat 27 and in each side of the slot is an inclined groove 28. Thesegrooves are opposite each other and thus form a channel for thereception of a ball 29. The portion 25 of the casing is provided with acylindrical socket 30 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

For producing the clamping action of the ball there is provided amovable member 31 having a shank portion 32 adapted to fit within thebase ofv the slot 27 and provided with an inclined rear face as shown at33 in Fig. 3. The shank portion also has a proj ection 34 extei'idingtherefrom at the bottom of the inclined face and terminating adjacentthe face 'of the track 19. The member 31 is also provided with a stud 35fitting within the socket 30 and surrounded by a spring 36 seated withinthe socket and tending to force the member 31 downwardly. A slot 37 isformed in the support 18 at right angles to the lower edge of thetransverse recess within which the manger is fitted. The projection 34fits within this slot and by engagement with the bottom thereof limitsthe downward movement of the member 31 under the influence of the spring36.

The machine described above is operated in the usual manner by pushingit through the pile of goods to be out while the knife is beingreciprocated by the motor. During thecuttingfopeiation, the members ofthe knife guard occupy their norrfial position withthe stripper foot"compressing the pile (if goods with the required pressure. The knifeguard members and their support 18 are held in place upon the track 19by the clamp described above which functions as follows: r

Under the influence of the spring 36, the member 31 is forceddownwardly, and the inclined or wedging face 33 of the shank 32, inco-action with the channel in which the ball 29 ismbmaea, causes thelatter to be wedged tightly against'the face of the track 19 therebypreventing movement of the sup- ...P' rr re eree th rakem the action ofthe spring 36 to release the ball 29 from clamping position, and as themember 31 is lifted the projection 34 will engage the ball to lift it inits channel until it is entirely out of contact with the face of thetrack 19. As soon, however, the member 31 is released the ball willimmediately be brought. into clamping relation with the track to holdthe parts in position.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a simplearrangement by which the knife guard members may be quickly set in anydesired position of adjustment. The movement necessary to be imparted tothe member 31 to overcome the veniently manipulated by seizing themember 31 and the projecting portion 25 of the casing between the thumband a finger, and after rel'tasing the ball by lifting the member 31,the support 18 may be raised or lowered until it assumes the desiredposition. As soon as the support has been set, the member 31 will bereleased, whereupon the mechanism instantly functions to clamp thesupport on the track. The time required for manipulation of the clutchis but momentary, and even when it is necessary to make frequent changesin the position of the knife guard members, the total time consumed willnot amount to an appreciable period. There are no parts of the devicewhich may become detached or possibly 10st, and repeated contact of theball against the face of the track will not produce any considerablewear thereon as is likely to occur if a set screw is used.

While the invention has been shown applied to one type of cloth cuttingmachine, it will be understood that it is equally applicable to machinesof other types, and that various changes may be made in the details ofconstruction without departing from the principle of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

I claim: 7

'1. In a cloth cutting machine of the kind described, the combination ofa track, a support slidably mounted on the track, knife guard memberspivotally mounted on the support and carrying stripper foot members attheir lower ends, a casing detachably se cured to the support andprovided with opposite inclined grooves forming a channel, a ballmounted in the channel formed by'the grooves, a member slidablyn ountedinthe casing and provided with an inclined portion adapted to cooperatewlth the ball to clamp it in the channel 111 engagement with the face ofthe track, the member being provided with an extension below theinclined portion for lifting the ball in the channel, and a springadapted to act upon the member to hold the same in position to normallyforce the ball into engagement with the face of the track to retain thesupport in any desired position of adjustment thereon.

2. In a cloth cutting machine of the kind described, the combination ofa track, a support slidably mounted on the track, knife guard memberspivotally mounted on the support and carrying stripper foot members attheir lower ends, the support being provided with a transverse recessand a slot extending at right angles to one edge of the recess, a casingfitting within the recess and detachably secured to the support andProvided with a socket and opposite inclined grooves forming a channel,a ball in the channel, formed by the grooves, a member slidably mountedon the support and having a shank extending within the casing andprovided with an inclined edge adapted to cooperate with the channel inholding the ball in engagement with the face of the track, the slidablemember also having a projection extending through the slot in thesupport and terminating adjacent the face of the track for lifting theball in the channel, a stud associated with the slidable member andextending within the socket, and a spring within the socket andsurrounding the stud for normally forcing the slidable member out of thecasing to hold the ball in clamping relation with the face of the track.

3. A clamp comprising a casing provided with a socket and a slot havinginclined grooves in its opposite sides forming a channel, a ball in thechannel formed by the grooves, a member slidably mounted on the supportand having a shank extending within the slot in the casing and providedwith an inclined edge adapted to cooperate with the channel in holdingthe ball in engagement with an external surface, the slidable memberbeing provided with a projection extending at right angles to the shankat the base of the inclined edge thereof and adapted to lift the ball inthe channel when the inclined edge is out of engagement with the ball, astud associated with the member and extending @within the socket, and aspring within the socket and surrounding the stud for normally forcingthe member out of the casing to hold the ball in clamping relation withthe external surface.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WII'JLIAM J. MARSHALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

